Cadman Capital appoints specialist to drive growth of aquaculture expansion

NORTHAMPTON, UK 8 June 2021: Cadman Capital Group, a privately-owned, independent private equity firm has announced the appointment of two new aquaculture hires as it continues to drive the growth of its aquaculture portfolio.

The group’s aquaculture portfolio consists of Orkney Shellfish Hatchery, Ocean On Land Technology, and Caribbean Sustainable Fisheries.

Newly-appointed Forrest Petersen joins the Orkney Shellfish Hatchery team as an oyster hatchery consultant, whilst Cristian Cox joins Ocean On Land Technology in the specialist role of recirculation aquaculture systems designer and engineer.

Petersen's appointment comes after Orkney Shellfish Hatchery experienced significant success in growing European flat oyster spat during 2020. Alongside its successes in oyster cultivation, the hatchery also reported an increase in clawed lobster survival rates last year, following a series of trials with sister company, Ocean On Land Technology.

Since the trials began in October 2020, the hatchery has reported continued uptrends in lobster larval survival rates, which now consistently stand at upwards of 30 percent, a number significantly higher than the estimated 0.005 percent survival rate of European clawed lobster in the wild.

Petersen brings more than 14 years of experience in the operation and management of shellfish farms and hatcheries, including the Marshall Islands Mariculture Farm and the University of Hawaii’s bivalve oyster hatchery in Hilo. In his new role, he will be responsible for scaling up the biosecure production facility at Orkney Shellfish Hatchery, as it looks to move to commercial production of European native oyster spat.

Meanwhile, Cristian Cox brings knowledge and insight into aquaculture operations across a variety of countries including Norway, USA, Canada, Chile, The Netherlands, Malta, and the United Arab Emirates.

As recirculation aquaculture systems designer and engineer, he will focus on enhancing and optimising Ocean On Land Technology’s existing product range, including its flagship Aquahive product - designed for the on-growing of juvenile lobsters - as well as the creation of new products.

Through its ongoing partnership, Ocean On Land Technology and Orkney Shellfish Hatchery are committed to researching, developing, and trialling new technologies to improve efficiency and sustainability when cultivating shellfish on land, in order to aid the replenishment of worldwide seafood stocks.

Managing Director of Cadman Capital Group’s Nik Sachlikidis said “With ambitious plans to scale up oyster production at Orkney Shellfish Hatchery, we are excited to see Forrest utilise his extensive experience to improve efficiencies and build on the outstanding work already completed by our dedicated team. As always, alongside production, we remain focused on ensuring the quality standards of our produce remains extremely high, setting our oysters apart and making them ideal for restoration efforts.”

“The appointment of Cristian as Recirculation Aquaculture Systems Designer & Engineer allows Ocean On Land Technology to continue to refine and develop the existing technology, and to continue to innovate in this exciting and evolving space. We are thrilled to have Cristian on board and are looking forward to him applying his vast Recirculating Aquaculture System experience to the next generation of our Ocean On Land Technology products ” Nik Sachlikidis added.

Image credit: www.pnas.org